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Fans of Exo demand K-pop band’s Japan shows near Fukushima nuclear disaster site be cancelled

  • Loyal followers fear boy band might be exposed to radiation from wrecked nuclear power plant
  • ‘Did the [band’s] agency get blinded by money?’ one commented online

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Exo are set to stage concerts on December 20 and 21 at the Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Japan’s Miyagi prefecture.
The Korea Times

By Dong Sun-hwa

Fans of K-pop boy band Exo are reportedly demanding the cancellation of the group’s December gigs near Fukushima in Japan, the site of a nuclear disaster in 2011.

According to a schedule released on the band’s official fan site on Monday, Exo are set to stage concerts on December 20 and 21 at the Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Miyagi prefecture.
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But the announcement has fuelled concerns among fans as the venue is only about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the disaster-hit area. They are afraid their stars might be exposed to excessive radiation.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Japan, was hit by the powerful Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Photo: AP
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Japan, was hit by the powerful Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Photo: AP
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According to 2018 data from a Japanese civic group, Miyagi has the second-highest level of maximum radiation exposure (20,493 Becquerels per kilogram) in Japan, coming after Fukushima (112,759 Bq/kg).

South Korea has banned seafood imports from Miyagi and seven other surrounding prefectures – Iwate, Ibaraki, Gunma, Tochigi, Chiba, Aomori and Fukushima – since 2013, due to radiation concerns.

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